Leap year doesn't really mean much of anything to me.
I have a hard time figuring out why some think it's a big deal.
Actually, the whole calendar thing of 28 days here and 31 days there... makes me think somebody didn't plan it too well. lol

The whole calendar thing befuddles me too, because October should be the 8th month, November the 9th, and December the 10th.

I am just curious about leap year because I have heard of some interesting customs and traditions pertaining to it, and it always struck me as a little odd that there could be a day of the month that only occurs only 4 years, except when the year is divisible by 100, or something like that...

Yafooey! lol I can't "get" it no matter what. The explanations only confuse me!

Have I screwed up your meanderings here? I am trying to accomplish things and NOT doing such a great job! lol
I have to hurry before the leap year ends! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Rabbits ... LEAP year ... no problem ...

2012 is a leap year,
with 366 days instead of the usual 365 days.

Why?

It was the ancient Egyptians who first figured out that the solar year and the man-made calendar year didn't always match up.

That's because it actually takes the Earth a little longer than a year to travel around the Sun — 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds, to be exact.

Therefore, as the hours accumulated over the centures, an extra day was occasionally added to the calendar, and over time the practice became more or less official.

The Romans first designated February 29 as leap day, but a more precise formula (still in use today) was adopted in the 16th century when the Gregorian calendar fine-tuned the calculations to include a leap day in years only divisible by four - 2012, 2016, 2020, 2024, etc.

Another stipulation ruled that no year divisible by 100 would have a leap year, except if it was divisible by 400. Thus, 1900 was not a leap year ... but 2000 was! Go figure.

Thankfully, all this intricate plotting will continue to keep us in tune with the seasons over the next several thousand years.

Leap Day traditions - no man is safe!

While leap day helped official timekeepers, it also resulted in social customs turned upside down when February 29 became a "no man's land" without legal jurisdiction.

As the story goes, the tradition of women romantically pursuing men in leap years began in 5th century Ireland, when St. Bridget complained to St. Patrick about the fair sex having to wait for men to propose. Patrick finally relented and set February 29 aside as the day set aside allowing women the right to ask for a man's hand in marriage.

The tradition continued in Scotland, when Queen Margaret declared in 1288 that on February 29 a woman had the right to pop the question to any man she fancied. Menfolk who refused were faced with a fine in the form of a kiss, a silk dress, or a pair of gloves given to the rejected lady fair.

A similar modern American tradition, Sadie Hawkins Day, honors "the homeliest gal in the hills" created by Al Capp in the cartoon strip Li'l Abner. In the famous story line, Sadie and every other woman in town were allowed on that day to pursue and catch the most eligible bachelors in Dogpatch. Although the comic strip placed Sadie Hawkins Day in November, today it has become almost synonymous with February 29.

More here:
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"Thirty days hath September,
April, June and November.
All the rest have thirty-one,
Excepting February alone,
And that has twenty-eight days clear
And twenty-nine in each leap year."
~ Mother Goose ~

Sorry, no pictures today ... function not working.

Well, you left a mailbox on the other thread. ???

Breezey Breezey wrote:Well, you left a mailbox on the other thread. ???

Yeah ... with great difficulty
I'll PM ya.

So, we all know that every four years we are forced to extend the excruciating horror that is February by a day in order to keep the calendar accurate and call it a “leap year.” But did you know that this simple act doesn’t actually keep our calendar on track? In fact, there are two additional caveats to the Leap Year rules to keep things ticking along correctly. Trust me, that alone is reason enough to watch this video.